


Revelations (Original Chapter)

by Chridder



Series: The Chosen One: A Reylo Saga [2]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Explicit Consent, F/M, Force Bond (Star Wars), Force Sex (Star Wars), Non-Explicit Sex, POV Kylo Ren, Post-Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Resolved Sexual Tension, Reylo - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-11
Updated: 2018-03-11
Packaged: 2019-03-29 22:37:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,989
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13936878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chridder/pseuds/Chridder
Summary: Now that he has everything he needs, Kylo Ren prepares to fulfill his destiny as the Chosen One.This is the mature version of chapter 10 in my story "The Chosen One." Story summary:What if your worst enemy could appear before you without warning? See your location? Read your mind?The bond between Rey and the new Supreme Leader is growing and it's dangerous. They both have much to conceal from each other... and yet the Force seems to make a point of bringing them together at their most vulnerable moments. Why do this? Why expose mortal enemies to each other's weaknesses and fears?Read and find out! This is a post TLJ Star Wars romance to help tide you over until Episode IX. The story tries to stay true to the film characters with a delicious slow burn. Rey is a woman of action and Kylo/Ben is a man in love but not mushy. Also an adventure story with some action scenes and a healthy dose of speculative Resistance and First Order plot. Chapters alternate between Rey and Kylo Ren's perspective.





	Revelations (Original Chapter)

**Author's Note:**

> This is the original, rated M version of chapter 10 of "The Chosen One." This chapter has been uploaded as the second part of the series "The Chosen One: A Reylo Saga" so I can rate the story T for a larger audience. 
> 
> Sorry for any confusion!

 

 

“Dowut, Plexis, Corellia, Tangenine, Kuat…”

Kylo Ren can feel General Hux grow more frenzied with every planet he names. 

“Crul, Takodana, Secundus Ando, the Naboo, Belderone _again_ …” His voice is bordering on shrill. “Insurgency spreads like a disease in all of them. We’ve completely lost control of the Outer Rim. It’s crawling with Resistance scum and weapons, more coming in every day.” 

Kylo Ren listens without responding. He’s not even looking at the General. His shoulders are relaxed and his hands are clasped lightly behind him. His back is to Hux as he stares out the window.

“These slave uprisings are turning into an _outright rebellion against the First Order_.” The last part comes out as a guttural growl. Hux lets out a great burst of air, like he’s been holding his breath this entire conversation.

Kylo Ren feels the General’s eyes on him. He still doesn’t respond. He doesn’t even turn around.

Hux’s annoyance with him quickly escalates into fury. 

“ _Supreme Leader!_ ” The General shouts as he slams his palms on the large table in the center of the room.

Kylo doesn’t budge.

“Starkiller 2 will be operational in just over a day,” he continues at a more reasonable volume. “With your permission, I’d like to use the weapon to take out Cantonica and the Concord Dawn system. That’ll cut the Resistance’s numbers in _half_. And it will show this galaxy the First Order does not tolerate rebellion under any circumstances.”

“No,” Kylo answers flatly. He still doesn’t turn around.

“ _Why not_?” Hux’s voice is shrill again.

“Because I did not become Supreme Leader to rule over an asteroid field.” 

Hux lets out another burst of air. “With all due respect, if you don’t intend to use the weapon on Starkiller at a time like this, then why did we even bother building it?”

“Fear,” Kylo responds. “The people in this galaxy know what the weapon can do. They’ve seen it before.”

“Yes, well that doesn’t seem to be stopping half the systems under our control from falling into insurgency. Perhaps it’s time to remind them that the systems in this galaxy exist only under the First Order’s good graces. All others will be _pulverized_.”

“No,” Kylo repeats dispassionately. “We will not use the weapon. Not yet.”

Hux sighs, clearly reaching peak frustration.

“Then how should we respond to the Resistance’s upcoming attack? All of our sources tell us they’re planning an assault on our core forces, including _this ship_ , in three days.”

“Set course for Starkiller 2,” Kylo commands. “Call in our forces to join us there. _All of them_.” 

“All of them?” Hux asks in disbelief.

“All of them.”

Hux sputters. “I…” he begins hesitantly, “I realize that your background has not afforded you the privilege of becoming well-versed in large scale military strategy, so allow me to inform you that it is considered _an extremely bad idea_ to concentrate one’s entire military might in one place—” 

Hux stops abruptly as his throat constricts. His hands fly up to his neck as he gasps for air. 

Kylo Ren finally turns around to face him.

“General,” he begins as Hux croaks desperately, “You’re a fine military man. You’ve served me and the First Order well. But if you refuse to follow my orders, don’t think I’ll hesitate to dispose of you and find someone else who will.” After a few more seconds, he releases his hold on the General’s throat. He begins gasping, starved for gulps of air.

Hux simmers with rage. “As you wish, _Supreme Leader_.” The title somehow comes out like an insult when he says it. 

The General turns a heel and quickly leaves the room. Kylo turns back towards the window.

 

 _So close_. He’s practically there already.

The six most powerful Sith artifacts in the galaxy and the six most powerful Jedi artifacts to match. All locked away safely in the archives. His knights haven’t mutinied yet. Most likely, they’re waiting until after the ritual.

Which works out perfectly for Kylo Ren. 

He just needs to bring the First Order forces together at Starkiller. Then it will be time. While the Resistance is busy attacking the fleet, he’ll be far away… on Mustafar, in Fralideja, inside his grandfather’s old stronghold. The planet where Obi Wan disfigured him. The planet where he became Darth Vader. 

He will finish it there. Finally. He will finish what his grandfather started. He will bring true balance to the Force. He feels a weight slightly lift from his spirit just thinking about it.

The truth is he’s tired. He looks forward to it being over.

He needs to get this done as soon as possible. Before the Force bond… It’s only been two days. There’s always at least a six day wait in between. He’s been keeping track.

He should be able to finish this without seeing her again.

Just like that, the weight bears back down on him. Heavily.

There are certain things he does regret. He regrets that he’ll never see his mother again. He regrets that he’ll never be able to tell her… that there’s no way he can make up for what he’s done to her. But this is his way of trying. He regrets that it took him so long to see the truth of what he was meant to do—how he is destined to bring true balance to the Force. He regrets the destruction he wreaked on his way to figuring it out. All of the pain he caused. It still eats away inside of him, corroding his spirit more and more every day.

And he regrets that she’ll hate him all the way to the end. He’ll die with Rey hating him. He wishes things could be different. He wishes many things in his life had gone differently.

But this is the way things are. And with any luck, he’ll never know how she feels about what he does with the artifacts. He’ll never see her reaction to his plans. He can only hope that one day, many years down the road, she’ll see that he did the wrong things for the right reason. She may never forgive him. But maybe she’ll understand him. And perhaps she’ll see that in the end, he didn’t die a monster. Not really.

At least, that’s how he hopes things turn out.

His mind wanders back to the last time he saw her. It was like it always is. He’s alone in his room, or in his shuttle, or in the observation portal… and then he’s not. He’s with her, wherever she is. This time she was… asleep. In a very odd place. It seems to be a habit with her. He wasn’t sure what he should do. He didn’t want to scare her. He thought about not waking her at all. 

He crouched down and inched towards her to sense how deeply she was sleeping. She clearly hadn’t been asleep for long and yet she was already dreaming. He felt how exhausted she was, though also serene, at peace. Against his better judgement, he slipped into her mind to see her dreams. At first he saw nothing. Only a warm blackness. He heard a heartbeat thrumming steadily, omnipresent, seeming to come from all around. He heard deep breathing, long and steady exhales. Then the blackness rippled. The perspective jostled for a moment. An image flashed. Her hand curled near her face, pressed against his chest. Wet eyelashes sticking to his uniform as they opened and closed.

She’s dreaming about that day in the cave. He couldn’t help but linger. The truth is, he dreams about it too. It felt good to learn he’s not alone in that.

Of course, he doubts she’ll dream about him now. Not after he betrayed her.

His stomach twists with guilt, a maddeningly persistent emotion. It was _extremely_ unfortunate but necessary. He trusts his gut, and his gut tells him that if he’d asked her for the Jedi texts outright, she would’ve refused. That left only one option. _Necessary_. 

But he hates himself for the way he did it. He hates himself for not walking out of the room the moment he saw that she was sleeping. If only he hadn’t stopped to read her dreams… 

A change in the room snaps Kylo Ren out of thoughts. A feeling he’s come to know quite well over the past few weeks creeps upon him. He freezes.

 

Uh oh…

 

He turns around to be greeted by a searing white light. Instantly, he brings his right hand up to cover his eyes, but it’s already too late. He’s blind. 

A second later, a knee strikes hard into his lower abdomen. He keels over as a sharp elbow strikes right where his neck meets his shoulders. His palms barely catch him before his face hits the floor. A swift, hard kick to the gut brings him all the way down.

Rey backs away. He tries to gather himself, to sense where’s she’s at. He pushes himself up to his knees and concentrates. The first thing he does is lock the door.

Now where is she…? Ahead, just to his left.

“No, I’m not.” He hears her voice behind him. Is she projecting? Or throwing her voice? He can’t tell.

He can’t sense her at all. It’s as if she’s invisible, even through the Force. 

“It’s called Force stealth.” She’s to his right. “It’s how I was able to sneak onto Cularin to steal the Darkstaff without you sensing my presence.” Now she’s on the left.

“I learned it from the Jedi texts. The ones you _stole_ from me.” He feels a force from above knock him off his knees to the ground.

She’s cloaked and he’s still blind. It’s a temporary blindness, but he needs to see _now_. He could heal himself if he could slide off his glove…

She Force-slams him across the floor into the wall behind him. He scrambles onto his palms and stands up slowly.

“Rey,” he begins. “I know you’re angry.”

She scoffs.

“Poor Ben… forever making the _wrong choice_.”

A strong tug at his feet, and he’s flat on his back on the hard floor. He winces in pain. He still can’t sense where she is… not through his physical senses… not through his Force senses. Her voice keeps moving in different directions all around him.

“I asked you upfront about the artifacts. You had a chance to tell me the truth. To ask me instead of take from me. But you chose the darker path, as you always do.”

Suddenly, he feels himself skid across the room and crash into another wall. Slowly, he reaches for his glove… he has _got_ to be able to see. 

“You made the _wrong choice_ when you met your father on Starkiller.”

He turns into the wall as though he’s about to try to rise again.

“You made the _wrong choice_ after killing Snoke in the throne room.”

He begins to slip off his right glove.

“And you made the _wrong choice_ with me the other night.”

Again, she casts him across the room into another wall.

“You’re done making the wrong choice. You’re going to make the right choice right now. Bring me to the First Order archives.”

He brings his hand to his eyes and heals himself. She realizes what he’s doing too late.

She tries to knock him across the room again but he brings a hand up to stop her before she can. He stands up and looks her in the eyes, his arm still extended towards her, trying to keep her still. Just as she begins to break free of his grip, he pulls her feet out from under her.

“Rey, I can’t take you to the archives,” he explains calmly.

She gets up and runs towards him. He slams her away, and she slides across the floor. On her back, she swings her legs around and hops up swiftly, crouching. “You’re bringing me to the archives.” She looks him dead in the eyes. “You’re giving me the Jedi texts, the Darkstaff, the crystal, and whatever else you have stashed in there.”

“No, I’m not,” he replies.

She stands and in one swift movement, she dislodges the table in the center of the room, flips it on it on its side, and sends it crashing into him. 

For a minute, he’s pancaked between the wall and the table.

“Yes, you are,” she assures him. “This ends today. Your precious plans. This bond between us. If I have to break you to break it, I will.”

Finally, he pushes the table back. It clatters on the floor right side up in front of him.

He looks at her. He’s never felt her so angry. She reminds him of himself right now, in a very bad way.

“Rey, stop,” he begs her.

As she raises a hand to push him back, he raises a hand to stop her. They stand, tense and concentrating, deadlocked. They can’t break each other.

“Rey, what do you feel right now?” He looks in her eyes intently, struggling to keep her at bay.

“Stop trying to break my focus!” She hisses at him. 

“You feel anger, like you’ve never felt it before, don’t you?”

She tries to ignore him, but he feels he’s getting to her. 

“Coursing like a river of fire through your veins? It’s called Force rage. It’s when you channel intense fury to increase your speed and your strength. How else do you think you were able rip out a table that’s literally built into the floor?” 

Finally, they release one another at the same time, both staggering back a bit.

Rey’s breathing heavily and looking down. She still feels angry, but also worried and confused. 

“That’s not a skill you’d read about in the Jedi texts,” He says as he removes his other glove and casts it on the table. His tone is snide and foreboding. 

She turns away from him and walks back a few paces. They’re both still panting.

The room is silent for a minute. He feels her struggling to regain a sense of calm. 

“Rey—”

“Shut up,” she spits at him without turning around. She’s trying to concentrate, to fully compose herself.

Suddenly, she spins around to face him.

“I want to know, Ben. I want you to tell me right now. Why? What’s worth betraying me for, again and again? What’s worth destroying homes, cities, entire planets, just to get your hands on the artifacts? What’s worth putting the galaxy through all of this fear and pain and death—” 

“ _I’m trying to save the goddamned galaxy!_ ” He doesn’t mean for this to come out as a shout but it does. 

She looks at him with surprise and not a little doubt in her eyes.

“Well, you’re doing a bang-up job,” she says as she glares at him. 

He sighs and looks away from her. They stand in silence.

“How did it feel?” He finally asks. He looks at her. “How did it feel to channel the Dark Side of the Force?”

She looks at him guarded. She feels ashamed.

He looks away, shaking his head. “It felt good at first, I bet. Like white hot control. Like nothing could stand in your way. How does it feel now?” He looks back at her, pointedly. 

He knows exactly how it feels. Like the smallest drop of acid in your soul, eating away at you slowly but surely.

“Rey,” he can’t stop the emotion from welling in his voice. “ _You are a victim_. And you are sinking further and further every single day. _I see it_.”

“I don’t understand what you mean,” she says, eyebrows knitting together. “I’m a victim of what? The Dark Side?” 

Kylo looks down and takes a breath. “Rey, how long have you been using the Force?” he asks her.

She pauses to think. “Consciously? About a year, I guess.”

He looks at her sharply. “Do you know how long I’ve been using the Force?” She looks back at him, shrugging her shoulders. “My whole life. From birth, practically. I don’t ever remember being alive without sensing the Force, without feeling it course through me.”

Rey looks at him, waiting for him to continue. 

“I know the Force very well. I’ve seen what it does to people. I’ve experienced it. I’ve learned about it. Centuries of unbalance, Sith and Jedi. It’s a corruption, Rey. The Force is a corruption in the souls of those who wield it.”

“Ben,” Rey says quietly. She’s calm now. “What you experienced with Snoke, that’s not the true nature of the Force. The corruption you’re talking about, that comes from the Dark Side.”

“No, it doesn’t,” he says ruefully, shaking his head. “You forget, I lived the first part of my life in the Light. And I saw then what the Force does to people before I ever met Snoke face to face. With my uncle, my mother… You see, those who try to wield the Light, they’re so dogmatic about it, so terrified that they or someone close to them will succumb to the darkness they fall right into its trap. And then others are simply ignorant and untrained, channeling the Force indiscriminately. Just like you. Remember? On Ahch-To with Luke? You went straight for the darkness. You didn’t even hesitate. And a few weeks ago in the cave? You channeled the darkness without even intending it, just because you wanted that crystal so desperately. And today, you let rage consume and strengthen you. You couldn’t help it, couldn’t stop it. You were too angry with me to control yourself.”

She’s looking out into nothing, lost in thought.

“This is what the Force does, Rey, to whoever uses it. If I learned anything valuable under Snoke, it’s this: There is no Dark side or Light side. There is only the Force. Only power. And power corrupts. Every time.” 

Suddenly, her head snaps towards his. She gazes into him intently. He tries to keep her at bay, but his guard is down. He’s being too open, revealing too much…  She pierces right through his defenses, into the depths of his mind. 

Finally, he casts her off, breathless.

“Six of the most powerful Sith artifacts and six Jedi to match,” she whispers to herself, looking down. “You’re going to destroy them. All of them. You’re going to destroy them and their power with them. That’s not what you’ve told your Knights, but that’s what you’re planning.” She’s still confused, working it out in her head.

She begins to put the pieces together… to see the whole picture. He can see it in her mind.

Six artifacts of each aspect. Each one containing centuries of power. Destroying any one of them would send waves rippling through the Force. Destroying all of them at once…

“It’s going to weaken the Force,” she says slowly. “To drain its power to the point that no one can channel it.” 

She processes the realization, taking it in deliberately. “How long have you been planning to do this,” she asks, looking back over at him.

He hesitates. He’s not sure where to start.

“Snoke…” he begins, “Snoke came to me when I was very young as a whisper in my mind. He convinced me I was special, that I was the Chosen One. It wasn’t until I met him face to face that I discovered what he meant. He believed the Jedi misread the prophecy, and the Chosen One was destined to destroy the Jedi and reform the Sith. He believed the Force should not be understood as part Light and part Dark but only as power. He wanted me for my ability to channel both aspects at once. And he wanted the artifacts to merge them into six crystals containing the power of both the Light and the Dark, so the Knights of Ren could join me in wielding the Force as Snoke believed it was meant to be wielded. But…”

Kylo’s throat constricts. He closes his eyes and takes a breath. He tries to control his emotions. He needs to get through this.

“But after I killed my father to prove to him how fully committed I was to the cause, to prove that I could wield the Light aspect without falling prey to sentiment…” his voice trails off. The room is silent for a minute.

“It took me a while to see,” he starts again with a hoarse voice, “to accept that my father was right, that Snoke was just using me for my power, twisting me to his purpose. But when I began to see, I began to see everything. I began to see the Force for what it truly is. I saw it in my life. I saw it in Luke’s. I saw it in my grandfather’s. I saw it in centuries upon centuries past when the Sith and Jedi tore apart the galaxy with their wars. The beings in this galaxy cannot wield the Force without using it to destroy. So much death has come from the struggle between Light and Dark… the Hundred-Year Darkness, the Jedi-Sith wars, the rise of the Empire, the rise of the First Order. Would any of this have happened if people were unable to wield the Force, unable to be corrupted by its power?”

Rey still listens to him intently.

He sighs as he returns her gaze. “I’m sorry, Rey. I wanted to tell you all this. I wanted to ask you for the Jedi texts, not steal them from you. But I was afraid you wouldn’t understand. It’s time for it to end. The Sith. The Jedi. All schools of the Force. It’s time to truly bring peace and balance to the galaxy… to set everyone free from the Force and its corrupting influence.”  

She looks away from him, lost deep in her thoughts. He tries to read her, but her emotions are too tumultuous. It’s impossible to sense how she’s taking all of this.

It feels like forever before she speaks again.

“Ben,” she starts almost in a whisper. “ _No._ ”

His heart drops. He knew he should have trusted his instincts. He knew she wouldn’t understand.

“No,” she repeats more firmly. “I know I haven’t used the Force for as long as you have. And I know I have a lot to learn. But the Force in itself isn’t a corruption. It’s only in how some people choose to use it—”

“ _But that’s exactly my point_ ,” Kylo interrupts her. “Too many people who use the Force make the wrong choice. You said it yourself. People like me—we make the wrong choice, and _millions_ suffer for it.”

Rey shakes her head. “You’re not considering the whole picture. You’re just focusing on the parts you want to see. The Jedi brought centuries of peace to the galaxy. Through the Force, they expanded our knowledge of life, of the universe itself, to an extent no one thought possible. Think of the advances they brought with them… in healing, in technology, in understanding the mind.”

“Where are the Jedi now?” Kylo asks assertively. “They’re all dead,” he answers before she can. “For all their power, all their advancements, they couldn’t stop the Sith from devouring the galaxy in darkness. In fact, it happened right under their noses, through one of their own. Ask yourself, Rey… if there were no Jedi, would there be a Sith? If there were no Anakin Skywalker, would there be a Darth Vader?”

Rey sighs. “I understand why you believe you’re doing the right thing, I really do. In fact, I’m even proud of you for being able to finally disentangle yourself from Snoke’s web. I know that couldn’t have been easy. But you’re wrong about the Force, Ben. It’s not a corruption. It’s a gift. It’s pure hope—”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” he says forcefully, interrupting her. “I know the Force. I feel it corroding my spirit more and more every day—”

“But your experience isn’t everyone’s experience, Ben” she interrupts him emphatically. “For you, the Force has been a corruption, but for me? It changed my life. It gave my life meaning beyond just survival. Because of the Force, I finally feel like I belong to something bigger than myself. I know that I’m part of a larger story; I just don’t know how. All I know is that I’m no longer powerless, and through the Force I can show others that they aren’t powerless either. Think of the little boy I told you about, the slave on Cantonica who healed my friend. One day I asked him if his powers scared him, if he wished he was just a normal boy. Do you know what he told me? He told me that he never wishes he were normal because if he were then my friend would be dead. He wants to use his powers to help people, to defend them against those like the slavers who treat others like property.” 

Kylo grunts, turning away from Rey. “You know, my grandfather was almost rejected by the Jedi order when Obi Wan brought him in to be trained. Do you know why?”

Rey doesn’t say anything.

“It wasn’t just because he was too old. It was because he had been a slave. The Jedi Order believed that slavery naturally fostered emotions that lead to the Dark side—anger and resentment. And they were right. Anakin was never able to control his anger against those who preyed on the weak and downtrodden. He was never able to curb his resentment towards the wealth gap in certain sectors in this galaxy. In the end, he lost himself in his anger and his fear. This little boy you speak of… how do you know the same won’t happen to him? He was raised to see the very worst that beings in this galaxy are capable of. Do you think he’ll ever truly outgrow the resentment and anger these experiences have infected him with? Do you think these emotions won’t cloud his judgement, his use of the Force as he grows older?”

“That’s his choice to make, not yours,” Rey responds firmly. “You’re being just like Luke right now. Just like how Master Skywalker made your choice for you when he tried to kill you in your sleep, you’re taking away Jian’s choice before he has a chance to make it for himself.”

Kylo sighs. How can he make her understand?

“If I’ve learned anything being part of the slave rebellion over the past two weeks, “Rey continues, “It’s that people in this galaxy need hope. They need to know that there is a chance for them, that there is a Force bigger than them that can protect them, that can help them not feel so alone and powerless.” She looks out at Kylo beseechingly. “Please don’t do this. There has to be a better way to bring balance.” 

“ _This is_ the way. The only way to bring a true, lasting balance,” he says calmly but firmly. He turns away from her. They stand in silence.

He hears Rey breathing behind him. She’s searching her mind for another way to persuade him…

“So… after you do this, what then? There will still be the First Order. Are you just going to disassemble it… or blow it up?" 

For a split second, he turns to give her a knowing look. Her eyebrows shoot up in shock.

“Oh wow…” It’s extremely difficult to read her reaction to this when she’s processing so much at once, but he does sense bewilderment, relief, and maybe even admiration?

“And then, what about you?” She continues. “The Force has been with you your whole life, as you say. How will you live without it?”

He doesn’t turn. He tenses and tries to keep his mind clear. But she reads him anyway. He feels her stomach drop, almost as if it were his own, and a hollow, gnawing feeling in her chest.

“Doing this is going to kill you.”

She tries to catch her breath, but the feeling in her chest won’t go away. She begins to step towards him with wide, pleading eyes, “ _Ben, no._ ”

He steps back instinctively. She stops.

But then Kylo realizes something. 

He has nothing left to hide from her. No more secrets. No need to constantly guard his thoughts, to keep her at bay. Nothing left to conceal.

He steps towards her. Now she backs away, a little surprised. But she doesn’t break her gaze, not even when he steps right in front of her, close enough for her to feel his body heat.

“Ben, this isn’t worth sacrificing your life.” Rey’s voice breaks as she speaks. She can’t stop tears from escaping her eyes. She’s shaking a little. He cocks his head and brings a hand to her face and wipes her tears away. He lets it slide down to rest on her shoulder, his thumb still tracing her lower jaw.

He can’t help but be surprised. He never guessed she’d be so upset over him dying. Then, for the first time, he feels it rising up inside him like a warm glow. He hasn’t felt something like this in over a decade.

She loves him too.

Immediately, he leans down and captures her lips with his own, one hand behind her head, the other behind her waist, drawing her closer. She kisses back, tentatively at first, sliding both hands up along the sides of his body. As their kisses grow more passionate, they both feel a strange sense of relief, like a heavy tension is releasing all around them as the fire between them burns hotter. They grasp and grab at one another for a minute, mouths opening into each other, before Kylo suddenly picks Rey up by her waist and sets her on the table beside them.

They both breath heavily for a few moments. They’re eye to eye now. He leans into her, forehead resting on hers, hands circling her hips. Both of her hands frame his face, fingers curled behind his ears, thumbs at his cheeks.

“Ben,” Rey whispers, shaking her head slightly. “Don’t do this. Please don’t do this. We can find a better way to achieve balance. I’ll help you.”

He sighs and shakes his head. His eyes are closed.

“And your mother,” she continues. “She’ll want to see you. You have no idea, Ben, how happy she’ll be that you freed yourself from Snoke’s influence.”

He pulls back and looks her in the eyes. Her hands drop to her sides. “No, Rey,” he asserts calmly but forcefully. “I know I’m doing the right thing. Everything I’ve experienced in my life, everything my grandfather experienced, brought me _right here_. I _need_ to do this. You’ll see. Everything will be better after I do this. You’re going to survive, Rey, and rebuild this galaxy. And when you do, you’re going to see that things are better, more peaceful, without people wielding the Force.”

She sighs and looks away. She’s still searching her mind for a way to talk him out of this… but she isn’t coming up with much. She looks back at him. He reads her like a book—her disapproval of his interpretation of the prophecy, her frustration with his refusal to bend, her grief that this may be the last time she sees him. Her heart actually aches at the thought.

He’ll never understand it. How he can disagree with someone so fundamentally, and yet love her so much. 

Kylo leans in and brings his lips to hers again softly. He pulls at her hips to bring her to him, pressing her body against his chest. She wraps her arms around his back, returning his embrace.

As they kiss, his hand travels up her waist, under her shirt. Her skin is soft and smooth. He grips her and pulls her in to him more tightly, practically lifting her off the table. She wraps her legs around him, hands at his back, pressing herself against him.   

Suddenly, Rey pulls away, lifting her shirt up and over her head. She casts it off on the table and boldly looks back at him with piercing eyes.

Kylo can’t stop himself from gaping in shock. He nervously struggles to catch a full breath, hands at the crease of her thigh and hips, looking down at her bare breasts. Rey is not embarrassed or ashamed. She’s calm and confident, filled with purpose, even though she’s trembling a little. She begins to pull his shirt from his pants and unbutton it. He lets her as he feels his heart begin to beat out of his chest. A part of him doubts this is really happening…

She opens his shirt and pulls it over his broad shoulders, down over his hands and onto the floor. Rey looks directly into his eyes. He tries to sense her thoughts, but her mind is focused solely on this connection they both feel between them. She’s letting intuition guide her actions. 

She leans forward to kiss him, hands slipping along the sides of his body to his back, pulling him closer, pressing her bare chest against his. He grips just below her hips and pulls her body hard against his, hand traveling down along the back of her thigh as she wraps her legs around him again. She brings a hand around to his chest and grips his shoulder as he lifts her up.

He backs away a few steps, holding her up by her bottom. She squeezes her thighs into his body, still pressing her chest into his, her tongue into his mouth. Suddenly, she releases her hold and drops down, backing away a step.

They look into one another’s eyes for a few seconds, both breathless and shaking. Then, Rey begins to unbutton and remove her pants. She gives him a very clear nod to do the same. He does, heart beating wildly.

After a minute, they are both completely naked, just a foot away from one another. She steps towards him, looking up into his eyes, her chest grazing his.

He feels her intent, her resolve, but he still can’t help but ask, “Are you sure?" 

She doesn’t break her gaze. “I have a strange feeling… like having faith in something you can’t see. I think we’re meant to do this. I think… this is what the Force bond is for.” She slides her palms up his chest and wraps her fingers along the back of his head, bringing his mouth down to hers. His hands travel along her bare waist down to her backside. His skin is hot, as if a fire is trying to burst through from within.

Suddenly, he lifts her up and she wraps her legs around him as he turns and pushes her back against the wall behind him. The air, the wall, is cold but they are both burning hot. They stop for a breath, both panting heavily. He starts to push against her, pulling her up, gripping her bare skin. She reaches down, sliding her hand down his belly to grab him, then pulls him up inside of her.

His heart practically stops. She feels warm and wet, gripping him tightly. They both gaze directly into one another’s eyes as he pushes into her against the wall, trembling with pleasure. She lets out a soft moan. He can feel her pleasure too. They can feel each other’s through the bond. They are both sticky and sweaty, chests sliding up and down against one another as he thrusts into her, slowly at first. She squeezes her thighs and grips his shoulders as she feels him moving, warm and throbbing, deep inside her.

They both revel in one another’s pleasure, hearts racing, blood quickening, her tightening and him groaning at the sensation. They lose themselves in the Force bond, two halves of a whole. As their pleasure mounts, so does the Force coursing through them. They feel tethered to one another, like one being, a concentration of unimaginable power. They are one with not only each other but with the Force, this spirit of life and death thrumming in and all around them. 

He grips her hot skin and pulls her into him as he picks up his pace. She tightens her grip around his shoulders, fingernails digging into his flesh. He feels her tightening, clenching, more and more, as he thrusts into her. Her heart is beating faster. So is his. Her thighs begin to quiver as her pleasure rises and she tightens around him even more. He pushes into her, harder and harder until he feels her go over the edge, undulating, swelling, her fingernails breaking through his flesh. He thrusts, faster and deeper, as he feels her explode, heart racing out of control. He’s throbbing, losing control more and more with every second until he climaxes with her, both gasping, eyes locked, feeling their own pleasure and the other’s all at once.

Gradually, their heartbeats begin to slow. She’s limp in his arms and he’s almost too weak to hold her up anymore. He lifts her and she slides off him; then he sets her on the floor. She places her palms on his chest. He brings his hands to her hips and looks down at her with concern.

Rey’s crying… but she’s not sad. She’s overwhelmed by everything they just felt together—the shared pleasure, the spiritual connection through the Force, binding them together as though they were one soul.

He cups her face, brushing her tears away with his thumbs. Then he leans over to rest his forehead on the top of her head, eyes closed. They stand there silently, breathing together. Then, she brings her finger to his chin to lift it and bring his lips down to hers. She kisses him softly. She pulls away and their eyes lock once more.

For a few final moments, they both focus on this one thing they have in common, their love, this powerful connection through the Force. Then, Rey moves to the side and walks away. She begins to re-dress. He follows her lead, silently.

His mind is racing. He can’t deny what just happened. This wasn’t his first time… but it was the first time he felt the act hold significance beyond just physical pleasure. He can’t quite put his finger on it, but what he just experienced—what they just experienced—through the Force made him feel… how did she put it? Like part of a larger story. He just doesn’t know how. 

As if she senses his thoughts, he hears her ask behind him, “And you’re sure the Force is all bad?” with a little playfulness in her voice.

He can’t stop his lips from turning upwards. “I won’t deny it doesn’t have certain… very satisfying enhancements.”

He turns towards her, his expression becoming more serious. “But what I’m doing is for the best, for the galaxy.”

She’s fully dressed now, standing up straight a few paces ahead him, feet firmly planted. She has a solemn look on her face.

“You know I’m going to try to stop you, right?” She says this more like a statement than a question. 

He looks directly back at her. “I really wish you wouldn’t.”

They both stare intently at one another in silence.

“Rey,” he says with a warning in his voice, “please stay out of my way. I don’t want to hurt you, but…” his voice trails off. He can’t even say it. He’s even less certain he can actually do it.

She doesn’t break her gaze. He can feel her resolve. She’s not backing down.

“We’ll see each other again,” she assures him softly. Then just like that, she disappears before his eyes.

He stands, cold and alone, in the empty room. He focuses on his breathing, still faster than normal. He brings his hand to his face and turns towards the window, thinking. Slowly, a sense of alarm begins to rise in his belly, up through his chest and into his throat. He turns swiftly to exit the room.

He needs to move up his timeline.

After seeing anger consume Rey today, he’s more confident than ever that he’s doing the right thing. He won’t let her become corroded as he has. He’s going to save her, and give her a peaceful galaxy to live in. She’ll still find purpose and happiness without the Force. He feels certain of that. 

He feels a twist in his heart.

He wishes he can share in her happiness, that there was another way to do this… another option. But she made it very clear to him today that there is only one option.

Still, it is a sweet surprise, a final parting gift to know that he won’t die with Rey hating him. Just the opposite. Despite all their differences, despite her disapproval of his actions, both past and present, she loves him.

It’s certainly not something he deserves.

He thinks about Rey. He thinks about the difference between how they felt about each other when they first met and how they feel about each other now. He thinks about the role the Force has played in this evolution. He thinks about how he felt just a few minutes ago, when they were one—filled with the Force, filled with a power and purpose he doesn’t quite understand. And he thinks back to what Rey said to him just before… her voice, calm and confident, echoes in his mind… 

“I think we’re meant to do this. I think this is what the Force bond is for.”

He feels a chink of doubt crack through his resolve.

He forcefully pushes back against it, but it lingers persistently, like an uncomfortable truth trying to break through to the surface.

  

 

 

 


End file.
